Review Blog

Jul 06 2018

Thimble by Rebecca Young

Ill. by Tull Suwannakit. Scholastic, 2018. ISBN 9781743811627
(Age: 5+) Recommended. Death and loss, Grief, Acceptance,
Grandparents. Suwannakit's soft watercolour and pencil illustrations
set the scene for an emotionally involving story of a child who has
lost a loved grandmother. When Grandma died she had nearly finished
a crochet tug, and the remains of the rug and the wool and crochet
hook lie on her chair near her glasses and photo of her and her
husband. Nearby the young girl finds Grandma's thimble and puts it
in her pocket. Mum is busy helping Grandpa and asks Mabel to go into
the garden. Here she remembers her grandmother and the things they
did together. She finds things that she wants to show her, and
eventually slips the little thimble onto her finger. Going inside
she watches as Mum tries to help Grandpa learn to look after
himself. She does his washing and helps him prepare tea, but as
Mabel cannot help, she is told to find something to do. The thimble
reminds her of something she can do for them all - finish Grandma's
blanket.
This is a charming story of loss and grief, of getting on with life
after a death, but remembering all the good things about that
person. Grandpa must learn to look after himself, Mum is in a rush
trying to help him adjust and the young girl, almost seen as in the
way, does something wonderful that all will relate to, seeing the
finished rug, reminding them of the woman who has died and the love
that keeps on giving through the thimble and the blanket. The soft
illustrations cover the pages, sometimes taking in a whole scene,
while some are in small boxes, showing things that happened in the
past. Children will love looking at the images depicting the
relationships between the four people, Grandpa and Grandma, Mum and
Mabel, thinking about how those relationships have changed now that
one has died. For classes looking at the make up of a family and the
ups and downs of a family life, this is an admirable addition to the
list of books to peruse.
Fran Knight